Bob C. Riley

Bob Cowley Riley (18 September 1924-16 February 1994) was Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (D) from 12 January 1971 to 14 January 1975, succeeding Maurice Britt and preceding Joe Purcell. Riley briefly served as acting Govenror from 3 January to 14 January 1975, succeeding Dale Bumpers and preceding David Pryor.

Biography
Bob Cowley Riley was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on 18 September 1924, and he served in the US Marine Corps during World War II. Riley led a rifle squad against a Japanese machine gun emplacement on Guam on 24 July 1944, and he was heavily wounded; his left eye was removed, and he eventually lost sight in his right eye. After the war, he graduated from the University of Arkansas, and he served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1946 to 1950, despite being at school for much of his term. Riley worked as an insurance salesman and taught at Little Rock University from 1951 to 1955 and Ouachita Baptist University. From 1960 to 1966, he served on the Arkadelphia City Council, and he served as mayor in 1966 and 1967. From 1971 to 1975, Riley served as Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, and he served the final days of Dale Bumpers' unexpired term as governor in January 1975. He resumed teaching at OBU, but health problems forced him to retire. He died of congestive heart failure in Arkadelphia on 16 February 1994 at the age of 69.